Off the beaten track: 6 views of the Halloween Park/Hykes Mill/Ganoga area along the Conewago
Halloween Park at Harry Hykes old mill near Strinestown in Conewago Township sustained flood damage again this year. Operators have reopned some of the attraction in time for Halloween. This sad moment serves as a reminder of the days when Hykes and other mill operators faced the same unpredictable weather that impacted their way of life. For details about Hykes Mill, see: Conewago Township mill recycled into a haunted mill.
The mill sits high and dry in this August 2012 photograph, reminding you that past millers probably fretted about the lack of flow in the Conewago Creek in summers, source of the mill’s power.
The Conewago Creek flooded Halloween Park last year, too. The reuse of the old mill as a attraction is an example of turning past agricultural properties into recreational purposes. Here’s another example: York County’s Maize Quest unveils scary but lovable critters.
The beautifully designed Ganoga Bridge is no more. Hykes Mill is upstream from the old bridge.
Workers build a frame for the new Ganoga Bridge, which carried the old Susquehanna Trail over the Conewago. The new bridge, under construction here, is closer to old Boy Scout Camp Ganoga, downstream from Hykes Mill.
Operators of Halloween Park discuss their cleanup efforts in the aftermath of the October Storm of 2013. Check out Facebook comments on the damage.
